Sampson McCormick ..."You Better Be Hella Funny

"You Better Be Hella Funny"

Sampson McCormick is an experience, a down to earth comedic force of nature, and has been one of the most celebrated and sought after diverse voices in comedy for nearly two decades.

Developing a cult-like following, literally working the smallest of stages, to most recently in the largest of venues, headlining the Howard Theater in his own show, as the first African American, out, gay male comic, as well as The White House, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Broadway in NYC, The Famous Comedy Store in Hollywood, San Francisco Punch Line, colleges, cruises and sold out concert venues around the world. He's recorded five highly acclaimed live, stand-up comedy concert albums, including the popular "That B*@&! Better Be Funny", which independently sold over 7K copies, and was considered for a 2014 Grammy Nomination for Best Comedy Album, he also co-starred in 'I Live Here' an independent film directed by Shane Watson, which went on to be nominated in 2017 for an Academy Award in the Narrative Category. Sampson has collaborated with notable entertainers such as Whoopi Goldberg, Dick Gregory, Sinbad, Jussie Smollett, Darryl Stephens, Margaret Cho and Angela Bassett among many others, and appeared on BET, VICELAND, LOL Network and MTV. He is also a gifted writer, penning three successful books and he has gained a serious following as a prolific public speaker, invited to lecture at campuses like Harvard University.

In 2014, he was awarded the Entertainer of The Year Award by Blatino Oasis in Palm Springs, CA, in 2016 was nominated by the Bay Area Reporter for Best Male Comic in The San Francisco Bay Area and in 2017 was honored with the Entertainer of the Year Award at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar in Puerto Rico.

His comedy offers riveting, refreshing and original takes on religion, sexuality, racism life and politics--you know, all those things there you weren't supposed to talk about in polite company!

Special musical guest, opening the evening will be Ahsa-Ti Nu. Ahsa-Ti Nu’s influences of gospel, jazz, R&B and rock continue to shape her goal as a artist: to create music that everyone can connect to emotionally and spiritually.